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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27434935">Right To Vote</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampAmber/pseuds/VampAmber'>VampAmber</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Human, Arrested Dean Winchester, Complete, Doctor Castiel (Supernatural), Domestic, Elections, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Ficlet, Hero Dean Winchester, Idiots in Love, Inspired by Real Events, M/M, Married Castiel/Dean Winchester, Nerdiness, One Shot, Pointless, Political Campaigns, Politics, Protective Dean Winchester, Random &amp; Short, Serious Castiel (Supernatural), Sorry Not Sorry, The Author Regrets Nothing, Writer Dean Winchester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 01:22:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,050</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27434935</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampAmber/pseuds/VampAmber</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Once again, Castiel finds himself at the police station after a long day at work, paying for his husband's bail. It was one thing to write a book about voter suppression while helping to keep the unsuppressed ones safe when they go to their local polling place, but it's a whole nother story to be punching the lights out of overly zealous 'protesters'. It was time to figure out a way for him to protect without doing anything involving the word "assault". Good thing Dean married such a smart husband.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Castiel/Dean Winchester</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>96</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Right To Vote</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Just so you guys know, while this was inspired by real events, none of the details or incidents I use actually happened. The only bit based in reality is that certain people were trying to physically block other people from being able to cast their vote. Which is kind of pathetic when you think about it. -_-</p>
<p>Anyway, never thought I'd go even the slightest bit political in my writing, but the idea popped into my head and forced me to write it. But hey, at least it's cute? Hopefully? Maybe?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <i>I needed this as therapy after s15e18 killed me dead, basically.</i></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sound of the door of the holding cell unlocking was far louder than anything should ever be allowed to be, and the screech of the door opening was even worse. Was it an official rule that nobody was ever allowed to oil the hinges? Castiel forced a smile as his husband looked up from the edge of the bed, guilty and sullen, but with a bit of irrepressible pride about him. Then again, that was pretty much par for the course at this point.</p>
<p>“Uh, hey Cas,” Dean said as Castiel and the police officer entered the cell. He sounded like a little boy that was scolded and put in the corner, even though he’d loved every minute of what had got him there. “Sorry,” he mumbled as he walked past Cas.</p>
<p>Castiel rubbed at the frown lines that had been magically appearing ever since the in-person voting had officially started. He was pretty sure that by the end of this whole mess of an election, he’d end up with more wrinkles than some of the seventy and eighty year olds running for reelection for some of the congressional positions.</p>
<p>Dean actually managed to look properly guilty as the officer handed over the stuff confiscated when he got to the station a few hours earlier. He was also smart enough to hang his head in shame as the couple headed towards the door and their car. Well, Castiel’s car, since Dean’s Impala was back at the polling site, parked far enough away that there was very little chance it got hurt.</p>
<p>“Just because you’re writing a book on voter suppression and I have enough money from my job at the hospital to keep paying the bail, that doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea to keep getting arrested, Dean,” Castiel started the inevitable discussion, sighing and rubbing the bridge of his nose between the lenses of his glasses.</p>
<p>“But it’s to protect the democratic process of voting,” Dean reminded Castiel, as he’d done every other time.</p>
<p>“Protecting people trying to enter the polling place from the protesters,” Castiel said, flicking the left turn signal without noticing, running that much on autopilot.</p>
<p>Dean snorted. “Protesters, Cas? Those are violent assholes trying to protect their head asshole from losing a race doomed from the start,” he interrupted.</p>
<p>Castiel let out a long, well deserved sigh. “As I was saying, protecting people is one thing, Dean, but punching the protesters…”</p>
<p>“Violent assholes,” Dean corrected.</p>
<p>The next tortured sigh Castiel let out was even more deserved. “Punching anybody at all was the bad part, Dean.” As much as he loved his husband more than anything else in the world, he really did want to strangle Dean a lot more often than he probably should.</p>
<p>“The guy was threatening a freaking kid, Cas,” Dean defended. “That girl couldn’t have been more than six, and she looked like she was going to cry from that guy yelling at her mom. And I swear, Cas, I swear, he had been making a move to slap that little girl, and I just couldn’t let that happen, I just couldn’t.” He tried to hide the wetness in his eyes, but Castiel saw. He always saw, because he always knew when Dean cared too much.</p>
<p>“But couldn’t you have done something that wasn’t considered assault by the law?” Right turn after the light turned green, autopilot from years of driving home after an eighteen hour shift in the ER the only reason they didn’t have to pull over somewhere to have this conversation.</p>
<p>“But that poor kid, Cas.” Dean didn’t bother to hide the proto-tears forming this time. He always cared too much, every time.</p>
<p>“Fine, but what about the last time?”</p>
<p>“Dudes were blocking the doorway, and they were shoving around anybody that tried to get through,” Dean explained, even though Castiel already knew.</p>
<p>“This is the fourth time I’ve had to bail you out for assault charges, Dean. While I understand that this book is very important to you, and important in general, you need to start finding ways to help without racking up more arrests for your criminal record,” Castiel lectured, the car turning onto the road they lived on, almost as if it knew the way better than they did.</p>
<p>“But you know how I am, Cas,” Dean pleaded. “I see the injustice and have to help in any way that I can.” Dean boasted as if he’d done something as big as saving all the rainforests in one go.</p>
<p>Castiel couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped from his now smiling lips. “You’re not Batman, you know,” he teased.</p>
<p>Dean shrugged. “I can be a different superhero,” he offered, all hints of guilt long gone.</p>
<p>Castiel just rolled his eyes. “Okay, Captain America, let’s head inside,” Castiel said as he parked the car in his spot in the two car garage. “I’m starving.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, food sounds awesome,” Dean said happily, already obviously imagining a burger and fries.</p>
<p>“You do need to quit punching Nazis, though,” Castiel reminded his husband. He gathered up the things he needed to make the cheeseburgers, while Dean grabbed the potatoes and started washing them. This had unintentionally become a habit after bailing Dean out of jail. Probably not the best of deterrents, but at least it tasted good.</p>
<p>“Yeah, but Nazis make such funny pain noises when you get in a good suckerpunch.” They both laughed, but it was short lived because they still had to be serious and figure out how to deal with this. “But how do I protect everybody if I can’t punch the Nazis?”</p>
<p>“You wait for them to punch you first, obviously,” Castiel suggested as he started kneading in the spices that made the resulting burgers so worthwhile. “That way, you can say the retaliation was in self defence.”</p>
<p>Dean paused, staring at Castiel in disbelief for a few moments, half washed potato dripping onto the counter. “Well damn, Cas,” he said, putting down the potato and going over to grab his husband in a hug. “I knew there was a reason I married you.” Castiel turned around to kiss Dean, and then they spent the rest of the night laughing about the election insanity in a way that they hadn’t been able to before.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Okay, first off, no names mentioned, even though it's beyond super obvious who I mean (obvious during late 2020, at least), so no political rants or attacks in the comments. Please act like adults in here.</p>
<p>Also, I hope I didn't go too far on anything, because I wrote it at about 2am last night (02:00), and I'm posting it at about 10am this morning (10:00), and there has been zero sleep between now and then. So, yeah, fingers crossed.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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